Top Movies of 2012 from the Montclair Times

By Peter Gutiérrez

correspondent |

The Montclair Times

From my seat in the dark this seemed like a pretty good year for movies. And if you live in Montclair, it was probably even better than that. Not only did the town witness a boldly resurgent Montclair Film Festival, but the Clearview Clairidge continued to reaffirm itself as a regional mini-Mecca for art house and indie fare; in fact, it's where I caught "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," both of which appear on the list below.

Speaking of which, you'll notice that I haven't included the word "best." That's partly because I haven't seen everything (e.g., The Weinstein Company's releases proved particularly elusive). It's also because I myself grow tired of such lists - I end up just scanning them to see how strongly I disagree. So instead of adding to the glut, I thought I'd sum up some interesting cross-currents and connections. . . in short, stimulate some thinking, my own if no one else's.

Peter Gutiérrez

1. "Moonrise Kingdom" / "Wuthering Heights"

As a culture, we're bombarded by generic stories of young love, and usually prompted to find idealized surrogates of ourselves on the screen. Not so here, with Wes Anderson and Andrea Arnold making their tales of "forbidden love" fully character-specific and thus revitalizing the form.

2. "Oslo, August 31st"/ "The Grey"

Where do you go once suicide seems like plausible first step? Framing their lead characters in similarly stark terms, these films suggest that we then look to others. But is it for acceptance, or for leadership opportunities? Either way, ultimately all we can be certain of is that the wolves will come for us, be they internal or external.

3. "The Raid: Redemption"/ "Wreck-It Ralph"

At this point in the 21st century being an actual gamer or not really doesn't matter: life, or at least its pop culture versions, is often constructed as a video game anyway. Boundlessly creative and wonderfully crafted at every turn, these two films provide proof - as well as exceedingly clear moral lessons - that this might not be so bad after all.

4. "Wake in Fright" / "Miami Connection" / "Fear and Desire"

Is it possible that three of the more intriguing movies of 2012 have a combined age of 124? Well, yes, when U.S. audiences had never really had a chance to see them before. The harrowing (non-horror) Australian import "Wake in Fright" is a stunning example of a '70s-style psychological drama while "Miami Connection" perfectly captures the B-movie martial arts zaniness of the '80s. "Fear and Desire," now available on home video, is a miraculously recovered 1953 film by Stanley Kubrick. Although the famed director was reportedly not a fan, for cinephiles there's plenty to appreciate in this low-budget war flick.

5. "The Invisible War" / "Hara-Kiri"

Honor, corruption, arrogance, and tragedy - these are the heartbreaking, rage-inducing ingredients of these two films. The former is arguably the year's most difficult to watch release while the latter is from a filmmaker, Takashi Miike, whose reputation is built on shock. Here he opts for a quieter approach that is formally meticulous yet shattering in its results; the same, by the way, could be said of Kirby Dick's devastating indictment of rape in the U.S. military.

What does this hugely disparate group of films share? I'd say it's important things to say about being a hero, whether one is diminutive or muscle-bound, armed with weapons, one's wits, or just a camera.

7. "Superman vs. The Elite" / "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia"

The common ground here is, simply, the nature of justice, and what we expect from those charged with upholding it. The animated video release features the unforgettable spectacle of Superman run amok while the brilliantly meditative Turkish film presents a haunting portrait of law enforcement professionals and the difficult choices they must make.

8. "This is Not a Film" / "Argo" / "Holy Motors"

Although I'm not crazy about its nationalistic indulgences, Ben Affleck's crowd-pleaser expertly leverages the power of the movies to deceive. . . which is also the premise of Leos Carax's unclassifiable instant-classic "Holy Motors." The defiant documentary "This is Not a Film" is, like "Argo," set in Iran, but inverts its strategy by insisting that something isn't a movie when clearly it's one of the year's most notable examples.

9. "Amour"/"In Another Country"

Both of these extraordinary films explore nothing less than love and existence: the former by showing us uncomfortable truths, the latter, comfortable untruths.

10. "War Witch" / "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Two fables, one about a young African girl, the other about a young African-American girl. So is pairing them facile? Maybe. And does "Beasts" open itself to charges of being a sub-Malick exercise in faux naÃ¯f storytelling? Again, maybe. But I'd take its lyricism, and "War Witch"'s deeply felt outrage, over the shallow emotions of your standard studio release. Watch these films and become optimistic about new beginnings despite the horrors and losses of the past.

Peter Gutiérrez, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, writes on media for Twitch, School Library Journal, and other outlets. He can be reached at fiifgutierrez@gmail.com.

Top Movies of 2012 from the Montclair Times

From my seat in the dark this seemed like a pretty good year for movies. And if you live in Montclair, it was probably even better than that. Not only did the town witness a boldly resurgent Montclair Film Festival, but the Clearview Clairidge continued to reaffirm itself as a regional mini-Mecca for art house and indie fare; in fact, it's where I caught "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," both of which appear on the list below.

Speaking of which, you'll notice that I haven't included the word "best." That's partly because I haven't seen everything (e.g., The Weinstein Company's releases proved particularly elusive). It's also because I myself grow tired of such lists - I end up just scanning them to see how strongly I disagree. So instead of adding to the glut, I thought I'd sum up some interesting cross-currents and connections. . . in short, stimulate some thinking, my own if no one else's.

As a culture, we're bombarded by generic stories of young love, and usually prompted to find idealized surrogates of ourselves on the screen. Not so here, with Wes Anderson and Andrea Arnold making their tales of "forbidden love" fully character-specific and thus revitalizing the form.

2. "Oslo, August 31st"/ "The Grey"

Where do you go once suicide seems like plausible first step? Framing their lead characters in similarly stark terms, these films suggest that we then look to others. But is it for acceptance, or for leadership opportunities? Either way, ultimately all we can be certain of is that the wolves will come for us, be they internal or external.

3. "The Raid: Redemption"/ "Wreck-It Ralph"

At this point in the 21st century being an actual gamer or not really doesn't matter: life, or at least its pop culture versions, is often constructed as a video game anyway. Boundlessly creative and wonderfully crafted at every turn, these two films provide proof - as well as exceedingly clear moral lessons - that this might not be so bad after all.

4. "Wake in Fright" / "Miami Connection" / "Fear and Desire"

Is it possible that three of the more intriguing movies of 2012 have a combined age of 124? Well, yes, when U.S. audiences had never really had a chance to see them before. The harrowing (non-horror) Australian import "Wake in Fright" is a stunning example of a '70s-style psychological drama while "Miami Connection" perfectly captures the B-movie martial arts zaniness of the '80s. "Fear and Desire," now available on home video, is a miraculously recovered 1953 film by Stanley Kubrick. Although the famed director was reportedly not a fan, for cinephiles there's plenty to appreciate in this low-budget war flick.

5. "The Invisible War" / "Hara-Kiri"

Honor, corruption, arrogance, and tragedy - these are the heartbreaking, rage-inducing ingredients of these two films. The former is arguably the year's most difficult to watch release while the latter is from a filmmaker, Takashi Miike, whose reputation is built on shock. Here he opts for a quieter approach that is formally meticulous yet shattering in its results; the same, by the way, could be said of Kirby Dick's devastating indictment of rape in the U.S. military.

What does this hugely disparate group of films share? I'd say it's important things to say about being a hero, whether one is diminutive or muscle-bound, armed with weapons, one's wits, or just a camera.

7. "Superman vs. The Elite" / "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia"

The common ground here is, simply, the nature of justice, and what we expect from those charged with upholding it. The animated video release features the unforgettable spectacle of Superman run amok while the brilliantly meditative Turkish film presents a haunting portrait of law enforcement professionals and the difficult choices they must make.

8. "This is Not a Film" / "Argo" / "Holy Motors"

Although I'm not crazy about its nationalistic indulgences, Ben Affleck's crowd-pleaser expertly leverages the power of the movies to deceive. . . which is also the premise of Leos Carax's unclassifiable instant-classic "Holy Motors." The defiant documentary "This is Not a Film" is, like "Argo," set in Iran, but inverts its strategy by insisting that something isn't a movie when clearly it's one of the year's most notable examples.

9. "Amour"/"In Another Country"

Both of these extraordinary films explore nothing less than love and existence: the former by showing us uncomfortable truths, the latter, comfortable untruths.